SkyClan Border Patrol [03-2024]

Welcome to SkyClan Patrols and Duties: Border Patrol!
Marking and patrolling the boundaries not only keep out nosy neighbours but also hostile rouges. Ensure the scent markings are renewed and keep your eyes out for evidence of other cats or predators crossing into SkyClan territory.
As per Honeydew's instructions, the patrol has been sent along the ThunderClan border and is expected to use force only if necessary. Be sure to report any suspicious activity back to Honeydew or Wolfstar upon returning to camp!

Patrol Leader: Bubblebeam
Participants: Mallowpaw, Brackendawn, Yewshade name. uwubers timezone. EST discord. @ uwubers code.kiikko

Bubblebeam had been shocked when Honeydew approached her to lead a patrol. She was one of the younger warriors in the Clan--not so young as all of her patrolmates, which made it somewhat easier that they were all a little bit younger than her, but it was still nerve-wracking. Especially since the patrol would be along the ThunderClan border. But she'd still agreed, if only to help out her friend if nothing else--and also because as the deputy, Honeydew had the right to ask such things of her. Even the scariness of leading a patrol along her least favorite border was better than sitting around and doing nothing in camp. So it was that she found herself now out in SkyClan territory, making her way to the border, at the head of a patrol. It was a fairly warm day for the end of leaf-bare; sunlight filtered through the bare branches, and the ground felt dryer than usual beneath her paws. She tried to focus on her surroundings instead of the ill-fated patrol to ThunderClan she'd been on before.

The only other cat on this patrol that Bubblebeam remotely knew was Brackendawn, who'd recently gained his warrior name. The other two cats, Yewshade and Mallowpaw, she was only tangentially aware of. They'd both congratulated Honeydew back at her warrior ceremony; anyone who was friends with the sweet-hearted deputy couldn't be too bad. But she'd never had a conversation with either of them. It was strange to be leading the patrol; was there a specific way she had to speak, or act? She had no clue. It would be easiest to just pretend as if it were normal. But she was the oldest cat here, and she was technically the one leading the way as they walked to the border and checked every scent marker. Her scar itched the closer they got, but she tried to ignore it. I should say something, right? Just act normal. Cautiously, she cleared her throat, glancing back at her patrolmates with pale green eyes. "Let me know if you see anything suspicious," she said. Hopefully her voice didn't sound strange. "Honeydew said to keep an eye out for predators or trespassers especially."

Auburnflare wasn't far from the border when he parted his maw to taste the air. Skyclan scent was stronger, fresher, something that threatened to cause a growl to rumble in his chest. Instead, claws churned in frustration at the frozen earth. Acornstem had told them not to cause any fights, so as much as the adrenaline coursed through him, the young warrior was bound to hold his claws back. No mousebrained, foxing Skyclanner would raise his hackles but that didn't mean he had to keep his maw shut.

"Oh, border patrol, huh? It's impressive, given how hard the code is for your lot to understand, I wasn't sure you could manage proper borders." The slender brown and white patched tom revealed himself from the dense, beige foliage. Auburnflare had forced his claws back into their sheathes and flattened the fur along his back. There was a glint behind his dazzling blue gaze as he regarded the Skyclan patrol, "It should be simple enough to stay on your own side but I can help with a reminder in case you ever forget." While it was a jab, the words were light, not a threat. His whiskers twitched in subtle disdain.

Brackendawn trotted beside his patrolmates, steps quick. He wanted to get this patrol over with, even if it was an opportunity to get to know his clanmates better, which Honeydew had told him to do. He was about to offer words of encouragement to Bubblebeam to accompany Mallowpaw's, but a greasy voice cut in. The pelt along his spine rose, and he turned to face the ThunderClanner. The brindled tom thought he would look more impressive and scary for the threats he was making, but he was as weedy as they come. His tail flicked from side to side as he debated how to respond, the old Brackendawn would have tackled him and then thrown up everywhere at the blood of his paws, but he had matured now. But only a little bit. "Watch your tongue, ratface." he snapped, pupils narrowing. Unkind words would suffice for claws. Despite his impulsiveness, the new warrior did not plan to disappoint his grandmother and sister so soon, and he didn't want to disappoint Bubblebeam on her first patrol either. Especially after their talk, bloodshed wasn't the answer. His pelt fell flat and he stepped back. "Go back to sniffing squirrel butts we don't want any blood shed."

Some of the anxiety beneath Bubblebeam's pelt smoothed at Mallowpaw's words. For never having spoken much to the tom before, he was very kind to give such an open offer of help. That did bring a chagrined flick of her ear since her discomfort was apparently so noticeable, but she did appreciate it. Brackendawn she knew was a decent cat, and Yewshade couldn't have been bad at all if Honeydew liked him. Maybe this patrol would turn out fine, after all. But before she could say anything in response to Mallowpaw, a different voice came--one from across the border, accompanied by the strong scent of ThunderClan. Her head whipped quickly to the side, her fur bristling slightly in response. Sure enough, a tom from their neighboring Clan stood nearby, regarding them with an obvious contempt. His claws were sheathed, but that didn't stop her scar from itching slightly. At least it was just one cat... that she could see, anyway. If he did attack he would be sorely outnumbered. His words stung her, though, almost forcing her ears back. Probably not for the reason he'd expect. She'd never crossed the ThunderClan border, but Sunfire had. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together about why their former alliance had fallen apart. Though she had only been present and had come off all the worse for it, it was difficult not to feel slightly responsible.

Of course, the single warrior wasn't a threat, and since he wasn't trespassing they ought to just continue on their way. Bubblebeam couldn't quite get any words out past the tightness of her throat. If she had her way, they would just ignore the tom completely. Brackendawn spoke up--but though he did insult the other cat, he did it dismissively as more of a response than an aggravation. That was good; the last thing she wanted was for a fight to start. This ThunderClan cat doesn't know you. He's not going to attack when he's outnumbered like this. We should just keep going. It appeared that Yewshade had other ideas, though. His words were more obviously meant to provoke like claws beneath a pelt--and what they contained made Bubblebeam feel almost sick. "When we killed Mottlestar." Putting the blood on their own paws. Was he trying to start a fight? Anxiously, her ears twitched. As the patrol leader, this was her job to deal with, wasn't it? She couldn't just leave or ignore the situation. Just take a breath. You can do this. Don't disappoint Honeydew. The blue-furred warrior shot Yewshade a glare, though the expression felt unfamiliar on her face. "Stop it, Yewshade," she hissed quietly. "We don't need any more fighting. He hasn't trespassed, so let's just go."

As the Skyclan patrol spat back insults, Auburnflare stretched out with his hindquarters facing them, tail waving high in the air. Their words rolled off his pelt like water dripping from a Riverclan cat's coat. Their patrol did little to stoke the embers within the brown and white tom. Disdain and a lack of respect far outweighed anger in that moment, especially as he realized this lot didn't seem so keen in breaking the code. If one loss was enough to put those foxhearted creatures in their place, he felt more assured in his endeavors.

The rest of his patrol was hunting further off; he hadn't been sent to remark the border or anything and was content to indulge his own whims for a few moments. He turned back to roll his eyes at Brackendawn before flicking his gaze to Yewshade. The jab at Mottlestar caused his blood to boil. Gloating over murder, how fitting for such a lowly creature. Icy blue eyes were half-lidded as he shot back, "Surely a brave warrior like yourself could handle a little mouse rather than shrieking like a fledgling across the border." His tone was even, flat, as he addressed the other tom. Kestrelpaw must had been rubbing off on him for a remark like that to fall from his maw.

"You must be too young to know how much your clan loves antagonizing, little apprentice. Especially with your buddy there so willing to gloat over an infraction of the warrior code. Speak to me about honor when you've figured that out." Auburnflare fixed his eyes on Mallowpaw, briefly wondering how much the clan was told, hoe much pride ran between clanmates over tearing away at the flesh of innocents. Softpaw must have been right around this cat's age, right? His life had been lost as callously as the venomous words tossed back and forth across the border.

Silverdusk had been a ways off, surveying for predators and whatever else Sageroot had asked them to keep an eye on. Auburnflare had split from the patrol and she had made no move to follow him, he was a warrior and she hoped he could handle himself for a few minutes. Green eyes canned the forest, looking for broken twigs or tufts of orange, so far there was nothing. Maybe there were signs in the direction Auburnflare had gone. As they trotted to catchup to the tom, the scent of SkyClan wafted towards them causing their pelt to bristle. They hadn't realised how close to the border she had been, and it seemed Auburnflare was closer still. Did that mousebrain enjoy making trouble for ThunderClan? Hopefully it was the border and nothing more, but the sound of voices  -those that did not belong to the ThunderClan patrol- had her ears perking. This was not good. Silverdusk broke into a run, hopefully they could stop the fight before it happened.

Then she heard "Guess Acornstem isn't holding up well since we killed Mottlestar." It was like they had been overtaken, the Now making the tall molly run faster as anger searing hot raged in their veins. The border didn't matter, Acornstem's instructions didn't matter. All that mattered was the noise the SkyClanner would make when she tore out his throat. His voice removed permanently. A tremor ran through her at the thought, never to utter such insolence again.

Auburnflare was a blur as she passed him. He couldn't have stopped them even if he wanted to. The silver warrior's teeth closed around Yewshade, lifting him up before slamming him into the ground. Blood and fur filled her mouth, and they spat the onto the ground as they loomed over the small warrior. Everyone was small when you were as tall as she was. "Care to repeat what you said?" leered Silverdusk, lip curled and ears flat against their skull "Use your voice while you still have one, filth."

Silverdusk used Snap and Thunderous Stomp on Yewshade! Dealing -11 HP (-8 HP + -3 HP) and costing -17 SP (-7 SP +  -10 SP)
Yewshade is stunned for one turn.

Silverdusk

50/50 HP
103/120 SP (-17 SP)

Yewshade

19/30 HP (-11 HP)
80/80 SP

---

It all happened so fast. Heated words, that weren't necessary and a flash of silver. The smell of blood hit hise nose, and he could feel himself reeling. This was his clanmate, and they were being torn into, by a warrior that had just broken the code. Blue eyes snapped between Bubblebeam and Auburnflare, finding his own claws sliding out of there sheathes. Did he intervene? Did he wait for instructions. His pelt was puffed out to double its size now. As long as he didn't feint or vomit he was fine. Brackendawn would just do whatever Bubblebeam told him to do, decision making wasn't his strong suit.

Bubblebeam's hopes of getting their border patrol out of this interaction unscathed began to dwindle. Even though Mallowpaw did his best to diffuse the situation, and Brackendawn stepped back when she asked, Yewshade seemed determined to get a rise out of the ThunderClan tom. He glared sharply at her, and it was all she could do just to keep her ground. The tension in the air grew almost thicker. Her long fur prickled up, likening her appearance almost to that of a dark gray storm cloud. Being part of this patrol was bad enough, but being in charge meant that if a fight happened it was her fault. That was the last thing she wanted. Why had Honeydew put her in charge? What had possessed her? Bubblebeam was hardly confident on the best of days; she was nowhere near assertive enough to tangle with Yewshade's apparent desire to get into a fight no matter what.

And it seemed he would get his wish. From out of nowhere another ThunderClan cat materialized, leaping without hesitation across the border. Sharp teeth suddenly picked Yewshade up and flung him away. Growling, spitting, the scent of blood as her Clanmate then retaliated. Bubblebeam's heart jumped into her throat. It's happening again. Except this time, she was the one in charge--and even though they hadn't trespassed, even if they were fighting in self-defense, it was her fault for not stopping it. Her limbs had been locked together, immovable from shock as the fight began breaking out. The warrior atop Yewshade was frighteningly enormous--almost like the warrior who'd torn her to shreds so long ago. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run like the coward she was, to get help, to get someone else to deal with this situation. But she'd been put in charge, and as frustrated as she was with Yewshade for completely ignoring her and making this disaster out of a perfectly normal patrol, she couldn't just stand here and let him get beaten up. Brackendawn was looking to her for instructions. She couldn't just shake and stare wide-eyed like a prey animal.

Though it took effort, she forced her paws to move. Stop trembling. You can't expect anyone to listen to you if you look as scared as you feel. Bubblebeam swallowed her terror and shoved her fluffy body between the two feuding cats--Yewshade and the giant. Though her ears pinned back, she stared into the ThunderClan cat's face, standing her ground. Neither of them would get past her. "Stop it!" she snapped, almost surprised by the desperate vehemence in her own tone. "Both of our Clans have already lost enough! Starting another fight isn't going to bring Mottlestar back. Put your claws away and go back to your own border. We don't want any more bloodshed." Then she turned and glared back at Yewshade, returning his earlier glower despite the way her entire form shivered at the strong, coppery scent of blood from both pelts. The expression felt unfamiliar, twisting the scar on her eye into an uncomfortable position, but she had to do something apparently or they'd claw each other to pieces. Her voice was shaky, but she tried her hardest to sound like how Wolfstar did when she put on her responsibility-voice. "And you. Rising to a mouse-brained insult like an offended kit. Do you have no care whatsoever for your Clanmates? I don't care if you want to get your pelt torn up on your own time, but this is supposed to be a peaceful border patrol. If you act like this, cats you care about could actually get hurt. Badly." Just take my ruined face for your example. He was probably going to hate her for this; however, past the lingering fear that was still making her nauseous and the strength it took not to run away, she couldn't bring herself to care. All she wanted was for the scent of blood and the snarling to stop. "Honeydew would be disappointed."

A flash of fur was in Auburnflare's peripheral vision and diving onto the antagonistic Skyclan warrior the next. His jaw went slack as he realized what was happening. Silverdusk must have overheard the other tom's words and quickly forgotten any levels of self-restraint. They were supposed to be above Skyclan, demonstrating more character and righteous behavior than those cats had in one toe. He couldn't blame her, given how much his own claws itched to sink into the enemy warrior's flesh. But they had devoted themselves to the code and by extension, Acornstar's word.

The brown and white patched tom watched for a moment, sighing from the side of his maw. A grey she-cat snapped at the pair of battling cats in a display that shocked him, given her meek appearance. Admittedly, it was both impressive and respectable. As the apprentice slide between Yewshade and Silverdusk, his ear twitched. More than one, huh? There might be hope for Wolfstar if she manages to listen to the right clanmates. Finally having enough of idling nearby, Auburnflare padded forward just close enough to lunge out and grab his clanmate's scruff, pulling them away from the enemy.

After spitting out scruff and fur, he rolled his eyes, quickly flashing the whites, "Have enough there, Silverdusk? You know they don't need any help knocking the brains from between their ears, not much there." The words were light as he chided his clanmate before turning to the Skyclan patrol, letting his eyes linger on every cat but Yewshade, "Seems like there might be a few with sense, though, to my surprise. What do you say, we set a good example and show them how to follow the code and take this back across the border?" He was prepared to keep dragging her if necessary.

Yewshade's claws scraped pathetically against their chest. Silverdusk stood unphased... Was that all he had? For the venom he spat he was embarrassingly weak. A sneer crossed her features as they regarded the tom like he was nothing but crow food. His words were about the only strength he had, if they killed him -which she wasn't going to do- they would be doing SkyClan a favour. Resources were wasted on the likes of him. The tall warrior stormed forward until a shrill, fear soaked voice called out, followed by another SkyClanner throwing himself between them and their objective. Green eyes flickered between the two, and her tail lashed. "My quarrel isn't with you. Step aside." growled Silverdusk. The molly sucked in a breath. "Taking his voice will help us all, I am doing you a favour."

They took a step forward, but the SkyClanners stood their ground. Fine. They were flies, she would just swat them like they deserved. Light flashed on unsheathed claws as they moved to strike Bubblebeam out of the way. The blow never landed as they suddenly felt teeth in their scruff, dragging them backwards back over the border. Before they could snarl indignantly at being hauled like a kit, Auburnflare released them. Lurching away from him, they looked down at the bicolour tom, breathing heavily. Did he not care for Mottlestar's honour? Or Acornstar's? Was everything a joke to him? He was certainly right about their foolishness though, the remark earning a huff as she fought to not throw themself back over the border and finish the job. "He did not deserve the mercy you just granted him." they hissed.

Finally, the waves of anger settled into a gentle licking of fire. Silverdusk turned around to face the SkyClan patrol. Shame briefly stroked their heart at having broken the code, but her duty was to protect ThunderClan and Mottlestar's hnour was ThunderClan. They had just been doing their duty, following the oath they had sworn before the leader SkyClan now mocked. The patrol leader turned to the tom they had attacked. She did not care what was said until she mentioned Honeydew. Shame tugged at their heart again... What was it they had said at the last gathering? "A friendship as strong as Mottlestar and Perchstar's." Well, this was certainly a stellar start to such a friendship. Their tattered ear twitched, the one which the SkyClan deputy had given them. "Please give Honeydew my apologies... If this makes its way back to her. My actions were... I am better than what I portrayed today." mewed Silverdusk, stepping back towards Auburnflare.

---

Thankfully, it seemed Brackendawn wouldn't have to get involved. The ThunderClan warrior was hauled over the border and Bubblebeam and Mallowpaw, miles braver than he was today had stepped in. Of course, Honeydew would be disappointed they... Well Yewshade had conducted himself appallingly. Why his sister held him in such regard very much evaded him. The ThunderClanner was speaking, apologising for their actions. Good. Even he had better impulse control, though whether that was due to the circumstances in front of him remained to be seen. As they stepped back, a sudden realisation hit the brindled warrior, as she spoke of his sister. He knew her. Or knew of her.

"Wait! I know you. You saved my sister's life." he blurted, stepping forward. They'd also been the one to nearly take it, but of course Honeydew seemed to forget that part. The ThunderClanner visibly tensed at the mention of their deed. Brackendawn's tail thrashed at the thought of this cat's claws sinking into his sister's flesh. Yet... Honeydew was so weird, he really didn't understand how she picked some of the cats she liked, he just accepted it, unlike Shatteredsky. "Thanks, and thank you for not killing Yewshade either."

The tall molly blinked, eyes darting to the tom beside her then back to Brackendawn, an emotion he couldn't place on their face. "You are welcome. The rest of your clanmates were too busy boasting and celebrating the murders of my friends to even notice that she had passed out." He tensed at her words, his father and uncle had been apart of that war patrol too... Had they really not cared when she had passed out? Brackendawn felt sick again as he stared at the ThunderClanners.